Shifting the Focus of Health Care
Local practitioners spearhead a new, integrative approach to wellness. by Linda Sechrist
T
here is good news for Southwest
Florida Natural Awakenings readers that have support- ed a move- ment in health care which has evolved in language, so- phistication and credibility from holistic to alterna- tive to complementary and currently, integra- tive medicine. Here in our tropical paradise, a number of the natural therapies that have been
studied and given credibility by the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alter- native Medicine are now accepted by several area physicians.
Adam Perlman, M.D., is the executive director of Duke Integrative Medicine, in Durham, South Carolina, where conventional medical and natu- ral therapies are used to complement one another. He notes that as the West- ern medical community has studied the research on complementary therapies and the public has learned about their healthful benefits, there has been a growing desire among some doctors to integrate appropriate therapies. “West- ern medicine is moving in a more cost- effective direction of prevention and wellness,” says Perlman. “Now, all we have to do is educate the patients to do the same.”
Perhaps with growing local sup- port for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), the Duke Center for Living Campus model can soon be duplicated somewhere in Southwest
36 Collier/Lee Counties
Florida. Duke’s model of care is pioneer- ing efforts to transform the way health care is deliv- ered in the 21st century. Informed by academic research and educa- tion, providers integrate the best of Western scientific medicine with proven complementary therapies that address the body, mind, spirit and com- munity. The model also includes long-term,
personalized, comprehensive support; multi-day health immersions; annual membership; and a broad array of clini- cal services, classes, workshops and trainings focused on healing.
Creating a Customized Network Individuals seeking an integrative approach to wellness need not wait for a health network to form under one roof. “Establish your own, by finding open-minded practitioners willing to
network works better for practitioners and patients,” she explains. A key factor affecting communication between practitioners and patients is the Health Insurance Portability and Account- ability Act (HIPAA), enacted in 1996. Amy and Rick Lademann, founders of Beyond Motion, empha- size that this privacy rule is for the benefit of the patient; it specifies a series of administrative, physical and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health informa- tion. “The HIPAA authorization form allows us or any of our staff to consult with or review records from any of the chiropractors, orthopedic surgeons or physical therapists that we work with,” say the Lademanns, who are certified performance consultants specializing in Pilates, athlete performance, custom- ized fitness classes and nutrition. Trained at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Christina Mitch- ell, owner of Christina M. Mitchell LLC, is a medical massage thera- pist who receives referrals from plastic surgeons,
Amy Lademann
Christina Mitchell
dentists, chiropractors and doctors of internal medicine. “No one practitio- ner has the only answer to a patient’s health challenges,” advises Mitchell, who specializes in medical massage for cancer patients, orthopedic as- sessments, lymphatic drainage, sports massage, active isolated stretching and Somato Emotional Release.
Carol Roberts
work with one another,” advises Dr. Carol Roberts, a medical doctor who practices at the Perlmutter Health Center, in Naples. The author of Good Medicine: A Return to Common Sense, Roberts recalls her experience in oper- ating an integrative/holistic practice in Tampa Bay with several complemen- tary health practitioners. “When several practitioners work together under one roof, it’s challenging to keep them all busy, which is why a loosely formed
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
Developing a Partnership Approach “Information from scien- tific research on integra- tive care is advancing so rapidly that traditional medicine can’t keep up with everything,” says Joel Ying, a medical doc- tor who is board-certified
Joel Ying
in internal medicine and medical acu- puncture and certified in craniosacral therapy, energy medicine and well- ness coaching. In his private practice, Joy, Health & Wellness, he provides
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